by Bill McCleery, Ron Barnett and Mike Chalmers, USA TODAY

by Bill McCleery, Ron Barnett and Mike Chalmers, USA TODAY

Customers across the country expressed a range of opinions Wednesday, from deep concern to acceptance to indifference.

Indianapolis residents seemed to take the announcement in stride.

"I guess if it keeps the post office in business, if it does really save them the billions per year, then it's a good move," Tony Perkinson of Beech Grove, Ind., said at the downtown Indianapolis post office. "I don't know that it would affect me that much just having one less day delivery."

Ebony Chappel agreed that the decision might be smart from a financial perspective, but it would hurt everyday citizens.

"It's going to be quite an inconvenience to people that are going to be looking for their mail on Saturdays," said Chappel, 24, of Lawrence Township, Ind. "They're going to have to wait another day whether it bills, checks, things like that."

Wilson Williams, of Wilmington, Del., said the plan will hurt people who receive checks or other important material on Saturdays.

"It's like other things: You won't miss it until you don't have it," he said.

Danielle Bradley, a single mother in New Castle, Del., is worried she'll miss a needed benefit check, especially on long holiday weekends.

"You can't do the waiting thing when you've got a kid who's asthmatic," she said.

Rachel Moore, of Greenville, S.C., agreed that the change could pose a hardship for her and others like her.

"It will do people like me an injustice that don't have transportation," said Moore, who is 52 years old and disabled. "It could be good as far as cutting back money. I understand that."

She added, "What are they going to do about people that get checks or whatever, pay their bills?"

Most people questioned at the Greenville, S.C., main post office said they didn't have a big problem with the decision, however.

"I'm totally OK with that," said Crystal Heart, who was there mailing copies of a local magazine that included a story about her wedding photography business. "Anything that comes on a Saturday I can wait until Monday if it is really important."

But Sharon Brandon, of Fort Myers, Fla., said she was a little sad.

"You know, working 9 to 5 every day, Saturday is my mail-out day," she said. "I will miss it."

So will Elaine Syba, of New Castle. She's isn't looking forward to an empty mailbox on Saturdays.

"When you're retired, that's what you look forward to," she said.

For Lucille Coviello, of Spring Lake Heights, N.J., the end of home delivery Aug. 3 will be "just another inconvenience added to the list of inconveniences," though she understands that it must happen. She lives close to the local post office, though, so "it won't be that bad."

And 83-year-old Helen Hoagland isn't bothered by the change.

"Five days a week is plenty," said Hoagland, who live outside New Castle. "If it saves them some money, that's fine with me."

"Pretty much the only thing we use the post office for is sending packages for birthdays and holidays," Haller said after mailing a present to her niece."It's all done with Facebook messages."

She said the plan to continue Saturday parcel deliveries makes sense.

Hanns Derke, of Avondale, Pa., said the decision was inevitable.

"It's supposed to be a business, but it can't act like a business," he said. "You can only get something for nothing for so long. They either have to cut services or charge more."

Diane Rademacher, who left the Belmar, N.J., post office Wednesday with a bundle of mail clutched to her chest, was upset.

"I would like to have the same service I expected before," she said, noting that announcement comes a week after the cost of a first-class stamp rose to 46 cents.

Ending Saturday letter delivery is a good start to improving the entire postal system, said Donald Lester of New Castle, Del.

"They need to sell the post office, half of it to FedEx and half to UPS. The government can't do anything right anyway," he said.

Jacob Williams also thinks the Postal Service needs to change, but ending Saturday mail goes in the opposite direction of what he would propose.

"I'd like to see the post office deliver all week long, even Sundays," said Williams, 31, of Lawrence Township, Ind. "I feel that the post office takes way too many holidays anyway. ... But I understand they have to cut budgets."